Mace announces support for Jim Jordan as Speaker

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) announced Sunday that she intends to support Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R-Ohio) bid for Speaker, following her vote last Tuesday to remove former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from his post. 

“I will tell you today, I am going to be supporting Jim Jordan for Speaker for a number of reasons,” Mace said in an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” pointing to “his values, his work ethic, his ability to just run circles around everyone with regards to policy and pushing forward.”

“I’m really looking forward to rolling up our sleeves this week, no matter how this shakes out, and working hard for the American people,” she continued, “because we’ve got to stand up for the people. We’ve got to put the American people first and move this country forward and do it in a positive way. And I think he’s going to bring that to the table.”

Mace voted with seven of her Republican colleagues and all House Democrats to remove McCarthy from the Speakership, leaving the position vacant. She has said McCarthy made promises to her, especially in support of women’s issues, that she claims he did not keep as Speaker. 

Jordan, a founding member of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus, announced his bid for the Speakership along with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), McCarthy’s longtime No. 2 who’s long waited in the wings to take his shot at the top position. 

House Republicans are expected to meet for a candidate forum Tuesday to try and find consensus on a candidate that can get the majority of votes. A full House vote to fill the position is expected Wednesday.

Jordan has long been a close ally of former President Trump and has frequently repeated Trump’s false rhetoric raising concerns about a so-called stolen 2020 election and raising false claims of voter fraud. 

Asked about Jordan’s positioning on the issue, Mace pointed to the fact that she voted in 2021 to certify the 2020 election — a position that less than half of the House Republican Conference took on the night following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. 

“There’s going to be all sorts of issues that we agree on and disagree on,” Mace said. “In terms of January 6, the Electoral College etc. I was one of the most vocal members of our party that day and the days and weeks beyond that. I got primaried because of my vote to certify, because I spoke out.”

“We have to look forward and unite and come together regardless of what has happened in the past. We have to be forward-thinking and look to the future to bring the party together. Bring the people together and let the American people know that we care, and we’re going to work and fight hard for them,” she continued.